Friday, August 19, 2016

The Soviet Union Started To Collapse 25 Years Ago

The junta that tried to seize power in the Soviet Union on August 18-21, 1991, is one of the most inept in the history of palace coups. Not only did it fail to take power, but it also brought about the opposite of its aims – the collapse of the USSR.

The coup was triggered by the New Union Treaty, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s stillborn, last-ditch attempt to save the USSR. The union was in the midst of an uncontrollable collapse of its command economy and being torn apart by its increasingly-nationalist minorities.

WNU Editor: The big fear that I had during this time was that the protests against the coup plotters would result in a Russian version of a Tienanmen Square massacre. It did not .... and it was then that I personally accepted the inevitable that the Soviet Union would cease to exist as the state that I grew up in. Not surprising .... even though Russian state media is talking abut this anniversary today, the Kremlin wants it to be low key .... Putin bans anniversary of defeated KGB coup (The Times).

About Me

I have been involved in numerous computer science projects since the 1980s, as well as developing numerous web projects since 1996.
These blogs are a summation of all the information that I read and catalog pertaining to the subjects that interest me.